Zena- Soldier

by Edward Lake

  Commander Vault’s speech resonated with me. I was proud to be with him on the North Star. When he was a soldier, he helped send the Serpents into hiding. This was our chance to rise to the occasion and prove to our commander that we were worthy captains.

  “Captain Cain!”

  “Yes, Commander Vault!”

  “I’m going to pair you with Captain Otto Slate.” He stepped forward and pointed to the captain. Slate was a bulky man who showed little emotion. He sat across from me with his arms crossed and a blank stare on his face. I had seen him in passing on Sodus but never worked with him directly. He looked like the kind of man who followed orders without questioning the assignment.

  From around the room, it seemed as if everyone was in unison, ready to carry out this recruitment process according to Commander Vault’s vision. However, I hoped the High Priest would find it in his heart to free the slaves for fighting with us, although I realized that possibility was remote. When the time came, the slaves on the front line would die for the Holy Empire. That was the true purpose of all this: to use them as sacrifices, not soldiers. Still, despite the odds, I had a plan to save at least one of them.

  Part 3

  The Draft

  8

  Zena

  The attack lasted for what felt like an eternity. I shielded Kyra throughout the terrifying ordeal and listened to the zooming missiles, earsplitting explosions, and dreadful cries for help. Finally, from behind the splintered wall we had been hiding under, it sounded as if the chaos waned. Slowly and carefully, I inched my head up and peered through the jagged split in the wall. The soldiers were tending to those who had been injured from the bevy of the blast—and stacking dead bodies in piles. Grandma Petra?! Declan?! Turk and Lydia?!

  “Zena? Is… it safe?” Kyra quietly asked, utterly shaken.

  I was frozen, staring through the bumpy opening, hoping to spot my family.

  “Zena! Please say something!” Kyra cried.

  Her words snapped me out of my daze. “I… I don’t know, Kyra,” I said. I stood up and squeezed my body through the tight split. “Come on, hurry!”

  Kyra rushed to her feet and pushed herself through the opening. She stumbled over to me and collapsed to her knees. “Oh God, what is happening?” She stared beyond me, far into the distance, and shivered as we watched the frenzy on the yard.

  Thousands of injured slaves screamed and cried in pain, asking God to take them and praying for the Holy Spirit to watch over their loved ones. Heavy clouds of black smoke bloomed from inside and outside the yard. The area was riddled with debris and large gaping holes. Whoever attacked the North Star had plenty of firepower.

  I scanned every stack of dead bodies, hoping I would not find one of my family members in them. Dear God, please, did you keep them safe? Are my loved ones still alive? I prayed, wheezing as I hunched over with my hands clasped to my knees.

  Kyra wobbled to her feet and jogged into the madness.

  “Wait! Don’t leave me!” I shouted to her.

  “I have to find my mother, Zena!”

  But I need you, too. I love you, Kyra. It hurt to see her leave me, but her mother Olga was the only family she had. I couldn’t be selfish, and I needed to find Declan, Grandma, and the little ones. I hurried into the cries and shrieks, pushing past the marching soldiers and my wandering peers. “Declan! Grandma Petra!”

  I searched everywhere for them. I even double checked the piles of corpses. My body stung from aches and bruises, and my lips and eyes twitched when I called out. “Please… Declan, Grandma… Turk… Lydia, someone, please, let me know you’re alive.”

  “Ezra!” a loud, heavy voice said to me from behind.

  I spun around and saw a soldier jog up to me. He briskly grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the elevators. “We have been looking for you, Zena Ezra. Twenty years of age? Yes, is that you?” he barked.

  “Yes, sir. I hid when I saw the explosions. I need to find my family. Can you help me, please?”

  “The Holy Empire is under attack. Your family has already been taken back to their cell. You will join them and remain locked away until the war is over.”

  I shut my eyes for a moment and smiled. My prayers had been answered, and I couldn’t wait to see my family and share hugs and kisses with everyone.

  The soldier brought me down to our cell block and shoved me down the long hallway. “Pick up your feet, Ezra. The sooner we get to your cell, the sooner I can return to the yard and help my comrades.”

  When we got to our rusted cage, the soldier quickly opened the door and threw me inside. “Your two meals will be brought to you at dawn and midday,” the mouthy bully yapped.

  We ignored the soldier’s rambling and shared a moment of solidarity. After witnessing the devastation of the attack, it truly was a blessing from God that we survived the ordeal and made it back to our cell.

  I dropped to my knees and crawled over to Declan. “I’ve never been happier to see your smug face,” I teased, doing my best to lighten the mood.

  He wrapped his uninjured arm around me and squeezed so hard my bones made a faint crackling sound. “God, I thought we had lost you. It all happened so fast. We tried to find you, but as soon as the explosions started, the soldiers had us run to the elevators.”

  “It’s okay, Brother. I’m home. We’re all home now.” Feeling the pressure of his hug, I coughed and wheezed a bit. “No need to break me in half, Declan.”

  He let out a shaky laugh and released his hold. “Goodness, sorry, Zena.”

  Grandma Petra and the little ones came over and wiped away their tears of joy. They swarmed me and made one big group hug.

  “Thank the Lord you’re safe, Zena,” Grandma said. She rubbed my back and bent her head low. “Kyra?”

  “She’s okay. We hid in the kitchen when the attack began.”

  We stayed in our tight ball of love for a long while and shared a peaceful silence. Yet I could not help but ponder the situation. How could the Holy Army allow an attack like this? Why the North Star? Who could have done something like this?

  Years ago, I had heard chatter from other slaves about a rebel army. Most of the others claimed to have overheard patrolling soldiers talk about it. I personally never paid much attention to what the soldiers talked about, but now, I hoped the rumors were true. With the Saros Dynasty out of the way, maybe we would finally have a chance to be free.

  “Look, kids, why don’t you two get some rest. It’s been a long day,” Declan said and kissed them both on the head.

  Turk and Lydia went over to the corner and found a spot on the ground. They snuggled up together and breathed with one voice as they lay down. I kept my eyes on them and smiled from ear to ear as I watched them slowly fall asleep. “They deserve so much more.”

  Declan scooted over to the opposite corner of the cell and leaned his head against the wall. “I know.”

  Grandma let out a big yawn and closed her eyes. “We all need to get some rest. Only God knows what tomorrow will bring. But I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better.” She crawled over to the middle of the back wall and lay down. “Declan, Zena… lie down and rest.”

  “We will, Grandma,” I whispered. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, dear.”

  I moved over to Declan and leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “Mmm, get off me, Zena. My shoulder has gotten worse,” he hissed.

  “Oh, sorry, Declan. Are you okay?”

  He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He opened his eyes and grit his teeth. “So what do you think?”

  I slowly shook my head at first. “The mysterious rebel army, maybe? I’ve heard rumors about them before.”

  Declan nodded. “Man, that would be nice if it was true, wouldn’t it?” He smiled. “I never thought I’d see another army attack the empire like this, if that’s what this is.”

  I stayed quiet for a moment and mulled over my brot
her’s words. “Yes, it would be great to see Saros fall. Even if the rebel army kept us enslaved, just seeing the Holy Empire burn would be enough revenge for me.”

  He locked eyes with me and nodded again. “Someday, he will fall, Zena.” He moved his bad shoulder and grimaced in pain. “So how did it go with Kyra?”

  I narrowed my eyes, staring at him. “What do you mean?”

  Declan spat out a faint laugh. “Don’t be that way, Zena. After all the pain and suffering I’ve endured today, I’d like to end it with a little amusement. So please, humor me.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Kyra is just a friend.”

  He bent his head low and flashed a playful grin. “You know something? I knew you were different a long time ago.” He laughed. “In fact, I probably knew you were different before you did.”

  I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. “Oh really?”

  “Yeah… I remember when we were as young as Turk and Lydia. We used to play on the yard with the other kids, but you never liked playing with the girls. No, those slap-happy hand games were no fun for you.” He nudged me with his injured arm and grimaced again. “You liked the rough play with the boys. The chasing, the fighting… the pain.”

  At first, I was afraid this was going to turn into another one of his lectures. He was good at that, pretending he was my father. The lectures became more frequent when our father died. We used to argue about it all the time. Then I realized he was only looking after me because our father told him to. Yet Declan told me that he had always watched over me—even when we were children.

  “I saw the look in your eyes when you met Kyra for the first time. Do you remember?”

  I smiled and looked past the bars of our cell, visualizing me and Kyra when we were younger. “Yes. I was speechless. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”

  Declan laughed. “You look at her the same way now.”

  I shook my head at him. “Well, she’s not like me, okay? Kyra and I are just friends, and that’s it.”

  Declan stayed silent for a moment. I could feel him looking at me. He could always see right through me and knew just what to say to annoy me. “The galaxy may not accept you for who you are, Zena, but I do.” He took a deep breath. “Come on, let’s get some rest.” He slid down to the ground and lay on his back.

  I stayed up for a while longer, gazing afar and wondering if I would ever find my place in Starlight. Dear God, why did you make me like this? Do you hate me for who I am? I wondered. To clear my mind, I closed my eyes and dreamed about happier days—about when I was that little girl who pranced around in the middle of the night, pretending her holey shoe was a gun. Zena Ezra, the greatest soldier to ever live!

  Up above, on the prison yard, there was danger and excitement. I wanted so badly to be a part of it, to fight for my family and their freedom. I wanted to have armor and guns and a ship that could take me anywhere. I wanted to be a soldier. But not a soldier for the corrupt Holy Army. I wanted to do it for me, to have my moment on the battlefield, even if only for a few minutes.

  “Zena, lie down and get some rest, dear,” Grandma’s raspy voice mumbled, breaking my concentration.

  “Sorry, I got carried away.” I lay down on the ground and curled up into a ball. Dreaming was painful and hard. It hurt to want something I might never get. Yet that was who I was and who I would always be. So I closed my eyes and dreamed. Zena, the greatest soldier to ever journey the stars!

  9

  Zena

  I awoke to the sound of vicious, loud banging. My eyes flickered open as I stretched and rolled into a seated position. Still sleepy and my vision blurry, I yawned and tried my best to make out the person knocking on the bars of our cell.

  “Ezra, Declan! Wake up! Don’t have all day. Wake up!” a soldier hollered.

  Declan awoke in an instant and hurried to his feet. “Enough! My little brother and sister don’t need to hear all that ruckus.”

  The disgruntled soldier spat at my brother and yelled, “You worthless scum! Don’t you ever speak to me like anyone in this cage matters! You’re not even real people! You’re slaves! Not equal to someone like me!” He kicked the bars of our cell. “God hates you, and that is why you are here!”

  I glared at the soldier with burning eyes, wishing I could kill him. Declan walked closer to the door, stood tall, and looked down at the man, calm and ready for whatever he had to say.

  The soldier waited a moment and checked my brother from head to toe. He huffed through his nose and pressed a button on the device attached to his wrist. Within seconds, a hologram of Declan popped up, layered with bright text. “Ezra, Declan, you’ve been drafted to the Holy Army. At dawn, you will be taken to the yard and flown to the recruitment camp.”

  I sat there on the cold ground, staring up at Declan, trembling, and trying to comprehend the gravity of what had just happened. The soldier marched to the next cage, and then the next, informing the other men on our cell block that they had been drafted, too. His heartless voice echoed throughout the hall like a death sentence, leaving me and Declan speechless.

  I leaped to my feet and went over to my brother. Is this a bad dream I haven’t waken up from yet? I thought. I had never seen or heard of a slave being drafted to the Holy Army. Could this have something to do with the attack on the prison yard?

  Declan remained silent and still, glaring into the dark hall that led to the elevators. He stayed there for a few minutes, ignoring me. I wanted to punch him in his good arm—or nudge his side—hoping he would finally say something. At last, he turned around and looked at me. His face was as stiff as a rock, like he was overcome with blind rage.

  I wrapped my arms around his torso and squeezed as hard as I could. “No, Declan. No! We can’t lose you.” I can’t lose you, Brother. God, please don’t take him from us. Dear Lord, please hear me. Don’t take my brother away.

  Declan did not hug me back. He stood there, frozen, breathing heavily through his nose. “Calm down, Zena.”

  “How could you tell me to be calm right now? Don’t you understand what just happened?”

  He sighed. “Please let go. You’re squeezing the life out of me.”

  I quickly released him and put my arms down. I stared at Declan, waiting for him to say something. My eyes watered as I looked on. “Listen, I’m sorry for sobbing like this. I’m just… at a loss. I don’t know what to think.”

  “It’s getting worse, Zena,” he whispered and slowly peeked at his shoulder. He tried to move it, then grimaced immediately and bit his lip. He closed his eyes for a moment and gently breathed out through his nose. “I won’t last a day at the recruitment camp.”

  I shook my head at him. “That’s not true. You can do anything, Declan. I don’t want you to leave, but I also don’t want you to fail.” I gave him a hopeful smile. “Surely they will have some kind of medical care for the recruits.”

  He laughed. “Medical care? For a slave?” He shook his head. “No. We’re not real people, remember? Not worthy of God’s grace.” He walked to the far wall and watched Grandma and our siblings sleep. “Seriously, Zena, in all our years growing up in this horrid prison, have you ever seen the soldiers give medical assistance to a slave?”

  I madly set my hands on my hips and looked down. “No.”

  “Then why would this recruitment camp be any different? Once they realize I’m useless to them, they will probably kill me. Or send me back here to continue my life as a slave fighter.” Declan turned around and stared at me. “Look at me, Zena.”

  I looked up and locked eyes with him.

  “We don’t have a lot of time to say goodbye.” He sighed. “If I’m going to be taken away from my family, I want our last moments together to be peaceful.”

  Tears welled from my eyes. I took a deep breath and grabbed his good arm. “There must be something we can do, Declan. We can’t just give up and roll over!”

  “Zena! I am not spending what might be the last few hours I w
ill ever have with my family by arguing about some hopeless plot to save me from this.”

  I put my head down and hugged him close. He leaned forward and nestled his head against mine. Not like this. I can’t lose you like this. Staring from my watery eyes, a thought crossed my mind. “I’ll take your place.”

  Declan slowly stepped back and shifted his eyes from side to side. “What do you mean you’ll ‘take my place’?”

  I exhaled and gestured with my hands as I explained. “We can change our appearances so we look more alike. If the patrolling soldier says anything, you can tell them you wanted to sharpen your look for the recruitment camp or something. They will laugh and insult you like they always do.” I lowered my voice and peered over his shoulder to check for any soldiers. Realizing the area was clear, I looked back at Declan with wide eyes. “With your arm injury getting worse, you won’t last a day at the camp. And even if they sent you back to us, your next death match could be your last.”

  Declan turned his back to me and paced around the cell. “This is insane, Zena. You could never pass as me.” He spat out a tense laugh. “Even worse, I could never pass as you.”

  I scoffed at his claim. “Grandma always said we look like twins. We can stuff my shoes with whatever we can find to make me look taller. My clothes will look a little tight on you, but at first glance the soldiers won’t notice.” I ambled to Declan and locked eyes with him again. “All I have to do is make it to the ship. When I get to the camp, I’ll be a stranger to my peers.”

  In his eyes, it seemed as if Declan was beginning to consider the idea. For me, impersonating a soldier could get me killed. But I didn’t care. I had watched my brother crawl back to his feet, bloodied and battered, too many times. I had massaged his broken body too many times, only to see him fight again and endure more brutal pain. He had suffered enough.

  “I won’t let you die this way, Brother.” Tears leaked down my cheeks. “Those monsters can’t win. I won’t let them!” I raised a fist to his face and shook it mightily. “Don’t let them do this to you. Please! I can take your place.” I deeply exhaled and wiped my tears away. “Say yes, and I’ll do it.”